Software that allows computers to be cracked and identities to be stolen are being sold on Ebay according to the Telegraph.

PC Tools has discovered that users can also buy DVDs loaded with hacking programmes. These include trojans, a type of virus that lets hackers obtain passwords by logging keystrokes.

The virus is presented to its receiver as an apparent gift, often an email which masquerades as an image or joke.

Mike Greene, the vice-president of product strategy at PC Tools, urged people to watch for fake emails in inboxes.

“Everyone is quick to point the finger at China and Russia when it comes to websites selling spyware and hacking kits but what about eBay?

Here are some tips about Identity Theft - How To Prevent it

Tip#1 on Identity Theft - How To Prevent It : Educate Yourself. Start with this page from the Federal Trade Commission about how Identity Thieves work. Some of their most common techniques are…

Skilled identity thieves may use a variety of methods to get hold of your information, including:

1. Dumpster Diving. They rummage through trash looking for bills or other paper with your personal information on it.
2. Skimming. They steal credit/debit card numbers by using a special storage device when processing your card.
3. Phishing. They pretend to be financial institutions or companies and send spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information.
4. Changing Your Address. They divert your billing statements to another location by completing a change of address form.
5. Old-Fashioned Stealing. They steal wallets and purses; mail, including bank and credit card statements; pre-approved credit offers; and new checks or tax information. They steal personnel records, or bribe employees who have access.
6. Pretexting. They use false pretenses to obtain your personal information from financial institutions, telephone companies, and other sources.

Tip#2 on Identity Theft - How To Prevent It: Shred documents before disposing of them, even at home.

Tip#3 on Identity Theft - How To Prevent It: Beware Email From “Financial Institutions” Many if not most these days are fraudulent. Delete them from banks or credit cards you’ve never done business with. Especially prone to abuse are emails from Ebay, PayPal and other online merchants. If an email comes and you believe it to be correct, log in directly at the merchant’s site from your web browser. Do not click links from within potentially fraudulent emails.

Tip#4 on Identity Theft - How To Prevent: Beware Online Job Offers… These offers either seek your personal information to steal your identity or to lure you into helping steal money from others by offering you a 10% commission for “check cashing”. In the end you’ll be the loser either way. You can read more here.

Tip#5 on Identity Theft - How To Prevent: Protect, Change, and Increase the Complexity of your passwords. Changing passwords every 30 to 90 days is best if the password has a mix of numbers and letters. Simple passwords like mother’s maiden name or easily guessed ones don’t work well.

Tip#6 on Identity Theft - How To Prevent: Protect Your Flash Drive. I just bought an encrypted flash drive. You should too! It’s too easy to peer into your life - and your customer’s lives - with an unprotected flash drive. Hey, keep your eye on your laptop too and make sure it’s well protected by encryption.

You can find other tips on Identity Theft - How To Prevent It at this University of Maryland page.

Related Link: Identity Theft - How To Prevent…

You’re in the market for a new home and want to apply for a home loan to get the dream house you’ve always wanted. You’re devastated to find out that you were either turned down for your loan or your interest rates for the loan are sky high. What can you do?

The reason for being turned down for your loan or given the high interest rates is all due to your credit report score and how the lender interprets the three credit bureau scores when it checks to see if you would be able to pay the loan back.

You can raise your score before applying for the loan if you act fast. Don’t wait until the last minute when you’re applying for a loan to try to raise your score. It will take some time to get your credit turned around.

It’s better to work on raising the scores first and then going to apply for a loan. The better your scores are, the more chance you’ll have to get a loan at a better interest rate. Obtain copies of all three of your credit reports.

Look them over to see if there are any incorrect items on them that could hurt your chances for a loan. Dispute anything that shouldn’t be on those reports. If your report shows negative items that are accurate, try to resolve them by paying those debts off - even if it’s a little at a time.

Pay as much as possible on a regular basis to show that you’re trying hard to repay your debt. If the creditors see that you’re trying, they’ll be more willing to report it to the bureaus, which would affect your credit scores in a positive manner.

Another option that some people try is to dispute a negative item that they know to be correct. If the credit reporting agencies can’t verify the information within a certain timeframe, they’re required to delete that item from their reports.

Although this is legal to do, it’s not really recommended. There’s no guarantee that even if the credit reporting company deletes that item, it won’t reappear later on when they’re finally able to verify the information.

Make sure you keep all of your accounts and bills up to date and current. Even late payments show up on those reports and will affect your credit score. The more positive items that are reported, the better it will look to potential lenders.

Unfortunately, some things will be hard to have removed from your reports, but don’t let that stop you from trying hard to get rid of the negative items. Don’t be afraid to ask for a reinvestigation from the credit reporting companies, since it sometimes helps.

Unfortunately, the big three credit bureau players don’t always play fair. That’s when you may well need professional legal help.

Want more information?

Malware is software that invades your computer without your knowledge, steals passwords and personal information and then sends the information to the malware creator so they can steal your identity.

Once the identity theft has taken place, they use the information to either steal directly or take your personal information to open completely new accounts that can be used to finance their lifestyles while ruining your credit so that it requires professional attention to restore.

To protect yourself fully,

1. Any computer you operate should have completely installed antivirus software like Norton. It should be updated frequently and your computer should be regularly scanned to identify and neutralize malware threats.

2. You should have a personal identity theft protection plan in place that offers ongoing monitoring and up to $1 million in liability protections for you.

3. You should begin a process of credit report repair now to identify and repair any identity theft damage that may have occurred without your knowledge.

Part of the network identity thieves use to profit from the theft of your personal data is a network of “Money Mules” - unsuspecting people who respond to adds promising that they can “work at home” a few hours per week, use their home to receive and send packages and use their bank account to cash checks for people who for some unexplained reason want to use some stranger in the US to cash a check because a bank won’t?

These people cash the check, keep a 10% processing fee, send the balance to another address and think they’re making fast, easy money.

Then the check bounces and they’ve lost not only their “fee” but the whole amount.

They will end up needing credit repair themselves, but in the mean time they are facilitating the enterprise of Identity Theft.

More posts on Identity Theft.

Read the article that inspired this post at “Money Mules” A Cog In Cybercrime Underground and Identity Theft

The Federal Trade Commission considers identity theft to be a major issue in our society these days. Scamsters recruit unwitting victims from throughout the nation to receive forged checks with your name and cash them before the theft is discovered. And did you know the federal government doesn’t step in until there’s $100,000 involved? Amazing.

But also, the victims of Identity Theft are “guilty until proven innocent”… and even then creditors may hold them responsible for payment. A comprehensive strategy for identity theft and credit report protection requires financial protection IF identity theft occurs as well as monitoring to protect against the theft.

So it’s time to protect ourselves from identity theft.

Even if you can prove your identity has been stolen, unless you have protection in place, you’ll still be nagged, threatened, and cajoled into paying up for somebody else’s crimes and it’s YOU who will be affected.

Here’s a true story:

My name is Earl Laurie
and this is my story.

I had seen a news report about LifeLock.The CEO gave out his social security number on TV! The reporter tried to use it to open new accounts and couldn’t. That’s when I signed up. Later, I heard from the Navy and the VA that they had lost my private information. Then someone tried to open two credit card accounts under my name. They tried to steal my identity, but LifeLock worked exactly like they said it would.

Here’s another true story:

My name is Aaron Freeman and this is my story.

Thieves broke into my home and got everything - my passport, birth certificate, social security card, and several other priceless items. They could have ruined me financially. I had heard about how LifeLock guarantees identity protection. So I put them to the test. A few days later, I started getting phone calls that the thieves were trying to open new credit accounts using my identity. LifeLock’s system worked just like they said it would and stopped the thieves cold.

Interested in Identity Theft protection as part of a comprehensive credit repair program? You may for the time being order Lifelock at a special discount only through this link.